Have a Lark on a LARC in 1770
Go on a LARC tour and have a lark.
If you're in 1770 — whatever year it is now — go and have a LARC tour for something different to do on the central Queensland coast.
The LARC (Lighter Amphibious Resupply Cargo, what a mouthful of a name that is) vessel was originally built for military use, hauling equipment and supplies on land and sea.
In 1770, two of these LARCs have been converted into land/sea tour vehicles named Sir Joseph Banks and Dr Daniel Solander in honor of the two botanists on board the Endeavour on Captain James Cook's exploration of the east coast of Australia.
No, the LARCs haven't been in service since 1770. It's the town that's named 1770 in commemoration of Captain Cook's first landing on Queensland soil on the shores of this numerically named town.
The amphibious vehicles have some rather extraordinary features. They are self-righting like yachts and, if knocked over by a large wave, will roll all the way around and resurface. On land, they can manage a steep incline better than a four-wheel-drive.
The standard day-long LARC tour leaves the 1770 marina in the morning, crosses the inlet into the coastal waters of Bustard Bay along Eurimbula (Aboriginal for red iron bark tree) National Park, where distinctive native birds and waterfowl, as well as turtles and other water creatures, may be spotted along the way.
The LARC takes in some 27 kilometres of the coastline and up the steep hill to the Bustard Head Lighthouse, Queensland's first coastal lighthouse built in 1868. Nearby is an historic gravesite where some of the earliest residents of the area were buried in the late 1880s up to the early 1900s.
Included in the tour is a trip to the towering sand dunes of Middle Island where visitors get a taste of sandboarding, if they dare, or simply stay on the sidelines and watch or take pictures.
Historical and environmental commentaries, morning tea and a picnic lunch with billy tea are included in the day-long tour.
The 1770 LARC tours, which may include shorter afternoon ones, are managed by 1770 Environmental Tours, a family business. For more information and tour bookings, visit 1770larctours.com.au, telephone 617-4974-9422 or email info@1770larctours.com.au.
If you're in 1770 — whatever year it is now — go and have a LARC tour for something different to do on the central Queensland coast.
The LARC (Lighter Amphibious Resupply Cargo, what a mouthful of a name that is) vessel was originally built for military use, hauling equipment and supplies on land and sea.
In 1770, two of these LARCs have been converted into land/sea tour vehicles named Sir Joseph Banks and Dr Daniel Solander in honor of the two botanists on board the Endeavour on Captain James Cook's exploration of the east coast of Australia.
No, the LARCs haven't been in service since 1770. It's the town that's named 1770 in commemoration of Captain Cook's first landing on Queensland soil on the shores of this numerically named town.
The amphibious vehicles have some rather extraordinary features. They are self-righting like yachts and, if knocked over by a large wave, will roll all the way around and resurface. On land, they can manage a steep incline better than a four-wheel-drive.
The standard day-long LARC tour leaves the 1770 marina in the morning, crosses the inlet into the coastal waters of Bustard Bay along Eurimbula (Aboriginal for red iron bark tree) National Park, where distinctive native birds and waterfowl, as well as turtles and other water creatures, may be spotted along the way.
The LARC takes in some 27 kilometres of the coastline and up the steep hill to the Bustard Head Lighthouse, Queensland's first coastal lighthouse built in 1868. Nearby is an historic gravesite where some of the earliest residents of the area were buried in the late 1880s up to the early 1900s.
Included in the tour is a trip to the towering sand dunes of Middle Island where visitors get a taste of sandboarding, if they dare, or simply stay on the sidelines and watch or take pictures.
Historical and environmental commentaries, morning tea and a picnic lunch with billy tea are included in the day-long tour.
The 1770 LARC tours, which may include shorter afternoon ones, are managed by 1770 Environmental Tours, a family business. For more information and tour bookings, visit 1770larctours.com.au, telephone 617-4974-9422 or email info@1770larctours.com.au.
Larry Rivera joined a LARC environmental trip as part of a familiarisation tour organised by Tourism Queensland.
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